Couples Boudoir Photography, Pittsburgh Boudoir Photography Couples

This blog post is going to be a little different! We have been sharing client testimonials here lately where the client answers a few questions about her boudoir experience with The Girlfriend Experience Boudoir. This blog post was written solely by the wife of this couple without any prompts from us!

One of their images was actually featured by The Huffington Post!

"I was just looking for a boudoir photo shoot for my husband’s 30th birthday, but just as in the name suggests, I had an entire ‘experience’ that will forever be one of my and my husband’s fondest memories.

After having two pregnancies back to back, my level of discomfort with my body had grown to new levels. I remember returning to work from my second maternity leave, and even in my office attire and make up, I was still unable to make eye contact with myself in the bathroom mirror when I washed my hands. I could not accept the fact that the person in my mirror was my ‘presentable’ self.

I took control of my life and my body and made huge lifestyle changes. For me. I didn’t do it for anyone other than myself. Over almost a two-year period I had dropped 50 pounds. As healthy as I feel physically, I feel even better mentally. My confidence has grown so much, and I can now celebrate this body that I have – stretch marks, umbilical hernia, and cellulite, and all!

Changing my relationship with my body made me think of different ways I could celebrate it. As my husband’s 30th birthday approached, I decided that I wanted to do a boudoir photo shoot as a surprise ‘Dirty 30 Play Book’ kind of thing. Almost a year before I planned on doing the shoot I started to get my body in shape. A few months before his birthday, I reached out to a Facebook group for suggestions of boudoir photographers in the Pittsburgh area. I received several suggestions, but a lot of people strongly suggested Girlfriend Experience Boudoir. Looking at Steff’s work made it a very easy decision. I could definitely tell the difference between the ‘I’m smiling like a yearbook photo but wearing lingerie’ look vs. ‘I’m sexy and fierce AF’ look that Steff’s work has. I quickly took the leap and decided to book – no turning back!

After looking at Steff’s incredible work, I imagined handing my husband this super sexy photo album and his first impression would be ‘damn – I wish I was there!’. So, at first, I thought I would just surprise him and bring him along for morale support, but then after reading a couples shoot client testimonial and seeing their photos – I knew I absolutely wanted him in the photos, especially since he himself had also recently lost a lot of weight. But I still wanted to maintain that element of surprise.

After I booked the date I decided I should at least give him some sort of heads up that I have a surprise planned for him. I just informed him that he should be in as good of shape as he would like, and that he should manscape that day. And as curious as he was – I was able to stay strong and not tell him the secret until we got there. His guesses were humorous, ranging from shooting a porno, a painting, or a threesome (I think he’s still disappointed haha).

I was most nervous about what his ultimate reaction would be. What if I told him before the shoot and he said that he didn’t want to do it? I was way too excited for it and didn’t want him to take away from that. I know in his personality that he is generally open to things, but I just wasn’t sure. For me, it wasn’t until we started to drive there in the morning that I thought holy shit – I am about to be naked in front of a total stranger! I had focused my nerves on him that I never even thought to be nervous for myself.

As soon as we got there and met Steff, and I could finally share with my husband my secret I had been keeping, I felt completely at ease. My husband was completely open and excited for our shoot. Sitting and talking with Steff and Dessa during my make up made me feel so comfortable. There was nothing left to be nervous about – I was just ready for our close up!

Taking photos for our shoot was an incredible experience. Steff made us both feel so comfortable in our own skin and naked bodies. The connection my husband and I had during the shoot was amazing. As much as I love our album and the photos – nothing compares to the overall ‘experience’ that we shared. It will forever be one of our fondest memories.

Of course, I had my fears and anxieties prior to the shoot, but I am absolutely glad that I made the decision to not only have a Boudoir photo shoot, but I made the best choice by going with the Girlfriend Experience Boudoir. And as worried as I was about what my husband would think, his engagement with our shoot made it that much better. During the shoot he helped suggest poses he would like and now he talks about how much he would love to do it again.

In addition to the experience and the album, just being a part of the Facebook group and being surrounded by women that love their bodies and want to empower others is amazing. Doing a boudoir photo shoot is such a celebration of your body (and soul), and regardless of what leads you to make the decision to do it, it is definitely a decision worth making. I went in just expecting some sexy photos, but what I got was way more!"